WhatsApp Affirms User Privacy Following Backlash Over Data Sharing With Facebook

Le0M said:
I’ll never stress enough how Session app is by far the most privacy and anonymity oriented App there is.
Not even the phone number not the email are collected.
Way better than signal and telegram.
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Interesting and it clearly says on App Store that absolutely no data is collected. Can you elaborate what information it works with as an identifier. You will some way to identify your friends and family on this platform.
 
iShater said:
Whatsapp is so heavily used in my family and friends and colleagues, it is turning out to be a nightmare trying to move people off it with such a short time period. :(
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Do what you feel is right. I moved to Telegram, messaged those who I use WhatsApp to explain, then removed my account. It's not like I'm dead and unavailable. If they don't move and need to read me, I'm still here on iMessage or Telegram, SMS, phone etc.
 
iShater said:
Whatsapp is so heavily used in my family and friends and colleagues, it is turning out to be a nightmare trying to move people off it with such a short time period. :(
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Start small. Start with the friends and family you share personal details and ignore the groups with on forwards. I have moved my immediate family, my football group and my closest office colleagues. Now others will follow at their own pace.
 
whatsApp has failed to address the main concern that it's users have with the new terms and conditions that no one will be albe to opt out of and that is that the users phone number will be sent to facebook at part of it's intergration into facebook. The large majority of the public know what Facebook does with user data, they sell it to 3rd party companies, mainly advertisers which means Facebook will have something that advertisers persee as gold dust, users live phone numbers. Facebook will be able to charge premium for the phone numbers, which is why whatsApp terms and conditions are changing because it would allow Facebook a legal avenue to get hold of users phone numbers.

It will only take a few weeks even a month before whatsApp users start getting unwanted text messages from advertises, at the bequest of Facebook.
 
kstotlani said:
Interesting and it clearly says on App Store that absolutely no data is collected. Can you elaborate what information it works with as an identifier. You will some way to identify your friends and family on this platform.
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I have never heard of the messenger mentioned.

But with Threema you can do that too.

Anonymous use, no account required​

It is not necessary to provide a phone number or email address in order to use Threema. When setting up the app, each user generates a Threema ID, which serves as unique identifier. Since this ID is a random sequence of characters, Threema can be used anonymously. No central user account is created.
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Focus on Security and Comprehensive Privacy Protection – Threema

Security, confidentiality, and metadata restraint lie at the heart of Threema, the messenger for individuals and companies.
threema.ch threema.ch
 
MacRumors said:

However, it is noticeable that WhatsApp has mostly focused on what data is not shared with Facebook, rather than what is. The FAQ update does not acknowledge the fact, as stated under the updated privacy policy, that WhatsApp shares device and interaction information, IP address, and unspecified "other information" with Facebook.
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Lack of transparency should disturb anyone. It's easy to cherry pick and deny few things.
 
Le0M said:
I hope Facebook’s business fails like Intel’s.
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You hope Facebook's annual revenue is like Intel's?

Facebook annual revenue:

2015 = $17.928 billion
2016 = $27.638 billion
2017 = $40.653 billion
2018 = $55.838 billion
2019 = $70.697 billion
9 Months Ended September 30, 2020 = $57.893 billion

Intel annual revenue:

2015 = $55.36 billion
2016 = $59.39 billion
2017 = $62.76 billion
2018 = $70.85 billion
2019 = $71.97 billion
9 Months Ended September 26, 2020 = $57.889 billion

And that Facebook's annual net income is like Intel's?

Facebook annual net income:

2015 = $3.688 billion
2016 = $10.217 billion
2017 = $15.934 billion
2018 = $22.112 billion
2019 = $18.485 billion
9 Months Ended September 30, 2020 = $17.927 billion

Intel annual net income:

2015 = $11.42 billion
2016 = $10.32 billion
2017 = $9.6 billion
2018 = $21.05 billion
2019 = $21.05 billion
9 Months Ended September 26, 2020 = $15.042 billion


^ That is what a failing Intel looks like.
 
Last edited:
I’m a European user.
I have a Facebook account for university purposes from many years ago, I rarely use it (login every 2months, no real usage).
I have WhatsApp for years and I’m also using iCloud backup.
I haven’t had WhatsApp and Facebook app installed in the same time or on the same phone.

Tell me: can I trust them and keep using WhatsApp? What shall I do? This whole thing makes me really uncomfortable, feeding into my general discomfort at the moment.
Can I actually delete all my data from them? Or is everything up till now lost and can’t be undone?

I’m trying to understand what they really do with my data and how I should think about and what the right thing to do is...

If I ask 3 friends you get 3 opinions... :S

many thanks
 
kstotlani said:
Do people hate google equally? Something makes me believe that Zuck has done some special things to deserve this hate.
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If you're concerned about the collection of information about your web use, both create significant problems and are worthy of similar levels of concern.

If you're concerned about the direct effects on society and politics, then Facebook seems much more deserving of concern (though Google is not without any blame).
 
Contrary to the headline of the original post, nothing they said “affirms user privacy.”

”Yeah we stand outside your house and tell all our paying customers [the advertisers] when you leave and where you go, but we promise we will never sneak in through a rear window and root around in your underwear drawer. Your privacy is safe with us!”
 
If they don't look at my messages how come I can say something like "My back is hurting today" to a friend and later that day be seeing adverts in my Instagram stories for back ailment machines.

I tested it out and said "I really want to buy some new trainers, Nike or Adidas preferably" and sure enough I was bombarded with adverts for sports wear and specially picture of Nike and Adidas trainers later that day too!
 
I deleted my Facebook account a week ago. Problem is, I can't just delete WhatsApp because I'd lose my connection with the few social interactions I still keep. Everyone uses WhatsApp and most of them refuse to install more apps.

You're new to the dancing academy? Join our WhatsApp group! New to this singing group? Join out WhatsApp group. You're new at this University classroom? Join the WhatsApp group to be up to date! Even your friends and family members, who are often not very tech savvy, you can only reach them via WhatsApp. They don't know anything else, literally. They think iMessage isn't free, they don't know how to use Telegram (despite the UI is very similar), or they just don't want to have several apps. To some extent, I can understand them. But in any case, I am forced to use WhatsApp.
 
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